The Animal Inside
by SassyPascal
Summary: There's a new Dueling Club at Hogwarts. When everyone learns to become an Animagus, bets are places, scars are made and rivarlies are tested. 6th year. Inspired from "Take It Off" by Kesha. OneShot. Mild Drarry Slash. No Smut. Don't like? Don't read.


The Animal Inside

**There's a new Dueling Club at Hogwarts. When everyone learns to become an Animagus, bets are places, scars are made and rivarlies are tested. 6th year. Inspired from "Take It Off" by Ke$ha. OneShot. Mild Drarry Slash. No Smut. Don't like? Don't read.**

000****

_When the dark of the night  
>Comes around, that's the time<br>That the animal comes alive  
>Looking for something wild<em>

000****

The moon had made her monthly metamorphsis and had grown full once again, looking large and proud. Her glowing white orb shown down upon the Forbidden Forest, giving a dim white light through the trees. She would have been a beautiful sight that would bright peace and content, if it had not been made as the unfortunate sign of violence and blood.

A multitude of footsteps disturbed the silence within the forest. They were paced evenly and in sync with one another. No one breathed a sigle word. What was to come was both feared and greately anticipated. It had been set in place exactly one month ago, when the moon had been hidden completely, signaling the start of the moons metamorphsis. Everyone remembered it so clearly:

_"Sod the hell off, Malfoy!" shouted Harry, being held back by Ron, who clearly knew that if he let him go, he'd lunge for Draco and possibly strangle him._

_Draco stood there, smirking and looking completely calm. He loved, more then anything, when he got under Harry's skin._

_"Admit it, Potter. The only reason you and your little friends won't agree to this is because you're a right coward." said Draco coldly._

_Harry had had enough. He slipped out of Ron's grip and in a split second, had Draco against the wall, his hand closed around in throat. He wasen't choking him, but simply taking control of him. He burned into Draco's eyes, daring the blond to make another smart ass remark. Draco said nothing, but just stood there, staring right back at him._

_"I am NOT a coward. And just to prove it, I'll take up your challenge."_

_Hermione gasped. "Harry! Dueling as an Animagus, it's dangerous! Don't you understand? Animal instincts will take over our own and we could kill each other!"_

_"I don't care." replied Harry, never once taking his eyes off Draco._

_"Full moon, Potter. That's a month from now. Bring as many as you want. We'll duel last. I want to see if you'll follow through." Draco smirked at that last sentence. Harry eyes burned for one more moment and then released Draco. Both boys parted ways, preparing themselves for the event to come._

Harry, dispite his wishes, lead the group of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs to a small opening deep in the forest. The past month, all those willing to duel had illegally learned to become an Animagus of their choice. They all had to be extremely careful, though. If they had gotten caught when they were learning to become one, it would have been a lot more then a simple detention.

At last, they had reached the small clearing. The Slytherins and Ravenclaws were already there. Harry's heart was pounding at an unhealthy rate, but he managed to keep this breathing at a normal rate. Hermione came beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. She had asked that question at least a hundred times after Harry and Draco's encounter. But it was different now. It was full of genuine concern instead of frustration.

Harry simply gave a small nod, and the gentle hand on his shoulder disappeared.

Harry lead the group to the others, his head held high in a mask of confidence when inside, he was unsure of what was to come. When one is in Animagus form and has to do battle, all human nature and instincts are replaced with that of their animal. Being in such a situation causes extreme harm and even death. But there was one way to keep things some what safe: a _custodi_, who is the only person who can control of the events. If the custodi sees things getting out of had, they can transform the Animagus back to human form, and seperates them. This night, the custodi would change with each round, so that there would be no one biased.

Draco was as confident as ever, standing in front of the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Harry noticed that he didn't even look the slightest bit worried. He couldn't help but wonder what animal Draco had chosen to become. All Harry knew was that it was going to be something that would be quite a challenge to fight.

Friends would be fighting friends, it seemed. Hermione had everyone except Harry and Draco write down their names and place it in a large cup Hermione had. Two names would be called, and that pair would have to duel until the custodi saw it fit to end it and declare a winner.

A large circle had been formed. Hermione stepped forward, the cup in her hand, filled to the brim with papers. She set in down in the center and took a few steps back. She had charmed the papers to be chosen at random. With a simple flick of her wand and a few whispered words, two papers came floating out. Hermione stepped forward and took both papers. Her face went deathly pale.

"Ron Weasley and Blaise Zabini."

Ron went white. He looked at Harry, desperate for help. Word had gotten around that Blaise's animal had been a black panther, and if that were true, Ron was not ready for it. Harry patted Ron on the shoulder and lightly pushed him forward. Blaise was not feeling the same way though. He had a smug look on his face and some on the Slytherins cheered for him as he stepped forward. Both Ron and Blaise were in the inner circle. Hermione cast a shielding charm around the watchers, so as to protect them from getting injured.

A Hufflepuff girl stepped forward and volunteered to be the custodi. It was then when the metamorphsis took place.

Blaise was first. He closed his eyes and body slowly transformed. His already dark skin went even darker. His body grew slim yet muscular. He slowy got down on his hands and knees, and began to arch his back. A few more moments passed, and a slim tail was formed. It was then that Ron's fears came true. Standing before him was a large black panther with glowing, bright yellow eyes.

Ron did everything he could to hold his nerve as he saw the growling panther before him. He took a single deep breath and began his own change. Ron's was quicker then Blaise's, it seemed. He too fell on his hands and knees and in a few moments, there stood a black panther and a Kangal dog. The dog stood proud and regal, and was only a bit smaller than the panther. The panther courched and bared it's sharp, white teeth.

The Hufflepuff girl raised her hands, allowing both parties to prepare themselves. And then, with it finally being the point of no return, she brought her hands down quickly and it all began.

The panther and dog began circling, growling and baring their teeth. Everyone held their breath, waiting for one of the vicious animals to make a first move.

In the blink of an eye, Blaise lunged for Ron. With a short yelp, Ron slid out of the way just in time. He knew he couldn't avoid Blaise for long, so he prepared himself. When Blaise lunged again, Ron lunged back, digging his sharp claws into his muscular shoulders.

This is how it went on for a good 7 minutes. Ron had developed a severe limp in the front right paw and Blaise had deep teeth marks on both his shoulders and neck that continued to drip blood. These were the last moments of the fight, and by this time, everyone was cheering and chanting. Both animals, dispite their injuries, were ready for this last battle to win the war. The panther crouched low, it's shoulder bones looking larger then ever. The canine was looking proud and confident. It was not that cat that made the first lunge, but the dog that did. Ron took Blaise's shoulder in this sharp teeth, and crushed down. The pather growled loudly, it's yellow eyes growing wide and it's legs clawing at the ground to get away. A sicking pop was loudly heard and that was all it took. The Hufflepuff girl waved her wand quickly and both parties seperate, back in human form.

Ron was holding himself up as best as he could, a deep gash in this right forearm and hand and gashes all over his chest and cuts on his face. He has black and blue bruises on his face and and deep three line gash on this back. But it was nothing compared to Blaise.

His right shoulder was all but gone. His eyes were shut tightly and his mouth open in a silent scream. Draco and others surrounded him, inspecting the shoulder and attempting to save it. Amazingly, with a whispered and unknown spell from a Ravenclaw, the slashes turned into deep cuts, which was nothing compared to what they were before. But there was still the issue with his dislocated shoulder. Pansy held tightly to his left hand while Draco gripped the shoulder firmly. In one swift movement, Draco pushed the shoulder back, and a single hoarse cry came from Blaise. He rotated his shoulder twice, relieved that it had been saved. The gashes were still deep, but the bleeding had been stopped. Blaise finally stepped away slowly and painfully to recover.

Everyone was waiting for the custodi to make her verdict on who the winner was, even though it was very ovbious. She looked towards Ron, and nodded. Gryffindor had won this round. They all cheered for him and taunted the Slytherins, who had very bitter looks on their faces.

The rounds had continued through out the night. Pansy Parkenson had to do battle with Luna Lovegood. It seemed like an unfair fight, as Pansy was a black cat and Luna was a hare. Poor Luna was mauled badly by the end, in which the Slytherins had won. Pansy had little injuries, which she seemed to be proud about.

Hermione, who had chosen to be a hawk, went against a Hufflepuff boy, who had chosen a racoon. Many people were unsure about this one. Hermione was never a violent girl, and the Hufflepuff boy, whos name was Rowland Haroldson, was known to be quite a dirty fighter. But what no one had noticed was that Hermione was indeed ready for battle. After the tranformation and the signal from the custodi to begin, Hermione sprang into action. She scrached her talons across the racoons face, making it look even more vicious. It was when Hermione took Rowland in her talons and lifted him off the ground that everyone began growing fearful. She had risen at least 15 feet when Rowland turning in an awkward way and brought his teeth upon her left leg. In shock and pain, she released him, and he feel to the ground only second later. He layed motionless. When Hermione reached the groud did the custodi, who had been Cho Chang, wave her wand and both had become human form again. A few students slowly neared Rowland, who was breathing loudly but still motionless. It wasen't long until it was confirmed that he had broken his arm in two places. Cho gave the win to Gryffindor.

And they continued.

Fred Weasely with Millicent Bulstrode. A weasle and a dingo. It was no surprise as to what Fred had chosen.

Katie Bell and Lavander Brown. A wolf and a poodle. Lavander didn't seem to take this very seriously, as she withdrew when Katie gave one small nip.

Neville Longbottom and Vincent Crabbe. Poor Neville had been scared out of his wits. Crabbe had chosen to be a large alligator, which surprised many. But Nevilla had gotten the upper had. His chosen animal was a grizzly bear. Crabbe didn't seem nervous though. Little did he know that his chosen animal was slow on land, and was quickly defeated by Neville. But when he came back to human form, he had a look on his face of shock and euphoria. He didn't know what to make of everyone cheering for him and patting him on the back.

Next was Seamus Finnigan and Malcolm Baddock. Turn to his Irish roots, Seamus decided to be a badger. Baddock had chosen to be a bat.

The night seemed never ending. One battle after the other, blood was drawn and scars were made. Harry could have sworn the moon would turn red from how much blood was drawn. When no one was noticing, Harry looked up at the moon and gave her a silent apology for disgracing her and her symbol of purity. Harry felt her glow become a little brighter. Maybe this was her way of understanding his situation.

At last, the final battle came to play. The custodi was a first year Hufflepuff, so as to make sure that there would be no biased decision whatsoever.

Draco stepped forward, standing tall and had a very smug look on his face. He stood out greatly with the large group of injured and beaten Slytherins behind him. Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward into the inner circle.

Draco slowly strided over to Harry and stood mere inches from him. His smug look was replaced with one of pure determination. Harry knew this wouldn't be easy.

"Scared, Potter?" asked Draco.

Harry had rememebered those words from so many years ago.

"You wish." he replied, staring into Dracos gray eyes.

For one singular moment, Harry saw Draco's eyes go from cold and malicious to almost calming. Harry noticed his eyes were not all gray. There were tints of light blue within them. He suddenly didn't want to fight Draco. He had no desire to bring pain upon the other boy. But it was too late. He couldn't back out now. He knew what he had to do.

Draco stepped back, never once taking his yes off Harry. He glanced at the custodi, who gave a nod. Draco's transformation began.

Draco eyes gently closed, and he rolled his head back once. His body became thinner and thinner. He rotated both of his shoulders and fell on his hands and knees. His limbs began to disappear and his skin began to shine in the moon light. His round eyes went slanted, and became an eerie bright blue.

Harry found it so typical yet so interesting that Draco chose a King Cobra as his animal. He hissed and exposed his sharp fangs. He seemed larger than a typical Cobra, but that was no surprise. It was Harry's turn now.

His body began to shift in a eerie way. It reminded him of the feeling he got when he used Polyjuice Potion, but it was not at all painful. He felt the length in his legs and arm shift, and it was then why everyone fell to their hands and knees. His fingers and toes grew stiff and firm, and seemed to melt together. His body felt slender and skinnier. At last, he felt a strange sensation on the top of his head. This is where he began to feel pain. He didn't breath the whole time this last moment was going on. He stood there, allowing the antlers to form to full length. At last, he was fully trasformed into a proud and regal looking stag.

It was silent. It was ovbious that everyone was nervous beyond belief. Everyone was waiting on the custodi to give the signal to begin. The custodi slowly and wearly raised their wand, their face a great shade of white from pure fear of the events to come.

Silence.

At last, the custodi brought their wand down in one swift movement, and the battle began.

Draco did not hesitate to begin. The large snake slithered forward, flicking it's slitted tounge again and again. Harry wasen't sure how to react. He just stood there, allowing Draco to near him. It was an odd feeling knowing the human inside the animal. Knowing that behind the scales and the fangs was Draco Malfoy.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts when he felt something sharp at his front right leg. He looked down and saw the cobra looking up at him, the occipitals large and wide with the fangs in full view. Harry would not stand for his.

The stag lifted himself on his hind legs and brought his front legs stomping down, pratically ratteling the ground. The cobra, being an extremely agile creature, avoided the hoofs. The stag repeated this motion again and again, always missing the snake.

The vicious and provoked cobra striked, and dug his fangs into the leg of the stag, but released no venom, intending only to injure, not kill. The stag raised on its hind legs once again, but much higher this time. The animal flaled its front legs, tossing the cobra up and down. But it wouldn't let go, no matter how much the stag tried.

The custodi raised their wand, ready to seperate the two far too early. Draco saw this and released Harry. He went flying in the air for a moment and fell back to the ground with a thud. The custodi did nothing, but let the two continue.

Harry was on his last nerve. He would win this even if he was in the Hospital Wing till next week. He charged for the cobra, his head bowed down low. He had every intention of digging his sharp antlers right through the snake. But instead of putting the antlers thought the snake, the cobra somehow got tangled within them. The stag bucked and kicked and shook it's head wildly, but the cobra stayed put. At last, with one very powerful siwsh of his head, the cobra went flying.

With fire and rage poisioning his blood, the stag made a mad dash for the cobra. He planted his hoof on its tail, all but crushing it. The cobra let out a loud hiss, which could have been a scream if Draco was in human form. The stag stooped its head and began digging one if its sharp antlers into the cobra. The snake began to wriggle and squirm, doing all it could to gte out of the sadictic stags grip. Finally, blood was drawn. The cobra let out an ear piercing hiss.

Harry was blinded by rage. At last, he was finally getting revenge for all the things Draco had done to him. For all the words that got under his skin and into his mind, for all the taunts that made me feel like he was less. For being so damn beautiful and making Harry wish for something he could never have.

That made Harry come back to reality.

He didn't want to hurt Draco. He never did. He didn't want to being the boy and harm or pain. In fact, he wanted the opposite. He wnated to take care of him. He knew that even though Draco had a tough exterior, he saw him crack under the pressure. He saw his cold eyes grow weary and soft.

Harry suddnely released Draco. He couldn't go any further. He didn't care about winning anymore. He didn't care about Gryffindor pride. All he cared about, at that moment, was Draco.

The custodi saw the stag back away feverishly, and waved his wand. The two turned back to human form. Draco had a twisted look on his face. Eyes squeezed shut, nose scrunched up, he was fetal position, gripping his right thigh. The antler had dug deeply into it, and Harry knew that it would leave one hell of a scar. The win had gone to Gryffindor, but he didn't care. He was gaping at Draco, shocked at his own actions. The Slytherins were surrounding him, doing their best to comfort him and heat the wound.

Harry then realized his own wounds at his wrists and ankles. He had thin yet deep slashes and cuts all over them. The pain had finally sunk in as his adreline had died down. Hermione, seeing a twige of pain in his face, had his sit down. She whispered a simple spel, and the cuts and slashes on his wrists and ankles turned into scars. As Hermione began to wrap bandages around them, Harry couldn't believe how little agony he had gone through and how much Draco was going throgh. He looked up, and saw him sitting up, a bandage wrapped around his exposed leg. Harry wondered how they even got his pants off him when he was in so much pain.

He had the rest of the night to figure it out. No one had the strength to go back just yet. Everyone was too bruised and beaten up to even move. So for the remander of the early early morning, everyone rested and healed themselves. It was when the sky became a light shade of pink that everyone started to move along.

Harry had not removed his eyes from Draco the whole night. He wished he could take back the pain he had forced upon him. To take back the whole argument they had that began these events. He had to say something.

He and Draco were the last to leave. With Draco a good 15 feet ahead of him, Harry had time to think of what to say. Should he just come out with it and say sorry? Beat around the bush a bit? No, he had to be straight forward. It was best.

With his heart racing, he was a mere few steps behind him. he had to do it.

"Malfoy?"

Draco stopped and turned, and gave a look of disgust.

"Came to gloat, Potter?" he spat out. It was safe to say that Draco was not happy about what had happened.

"Um, no. I-I came to apologize."

Draco looked bewildered. Did he really just hear what he thought he heard? Potter apologizing for beating him? Draco wasen't sure what to say. He just stood there, appaled.

"Um, yeah...that's all I wanted to say." That was a lie. Harry wanted to say more, but he couldn't. Harry wnated to tell him that he saw Draco was breaking. That Draco needed to be cared for. Bloody hell, he could never say those words.

As it would turn out, he wouldn't need to.

"Potter. I can see right through you." said Draco. Harry wasen't sure what he was getting at, but didn't say a word.

"I saw it in your eyes. You couldn't hurt me. You didn't want to." said Draco in almost a whisper. He inched himself towards Harry, keeping his eyes plastered on the smaller boy. Harry was completely still.

The tension was so thick, either one could bairly breath through it. The fine line of love and hate was about to get crossed. They were obsessed with one another, constantely in each others lives, trying to prove themselves to one another.

Draco continued to move closer, until his lips were ghosting over Harry's. They were about to cross over. They were on the borderline of incredable hate and passionate love. Harry wasen't sure if he could handel it, but he did not protest. He stood there, still and silent, allowing Draco to move even closer.

The feeling was, in a word, euphoric.

Draco captured Harry's lips in his own, taking control of the boy without being demanding. Both stood there, completely still. The kiss was slow and soft, paced out evenly so that both boys could enjoy this moment. Harry's mind was reeling. Inside, he was out of control. Screaming and in utter shock. But on the outside, he was calm. He wouldn't dare to disturb this almost impossible moment.

It seemed like it went on for enternity. Staying still except for their lips, which loved evenly and slowly.

At last, Draco pulled back, the smallest of smiles upon his face.

"Let's see if you'll let that animal out again, Potter." said Draco with a sensual wink.

The line had officially been crossed. They were enemies no more. Harry wasen't sure what they were now. But knew he had the patience to find out.

And so, both stag and cobra retreated back to reality, in peace.

000

**So this came out very very different from what I wanted it to be. it was not ment to be Drarry, but my little fangirl heart couldn't help herself! And also, I had another animal option for Draco and Harry. I first wnated Draco to be awhite tiger and for Harry to be a lion, but I felt it was soo typical. But yes, I hope you all liked it! R & R, loves! XOXO!**


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